If you have ever opened a bank account, instructed an attorney, or signed up with an estate agent and been asked for copies of your ID, proof of address, or details about the source of your funds — you may have wondered whether that business is entitled to ask for all of that. The short answer is yes. But there are rules about how much they can ask for, what they can do with it, and how long they can keep it. Two laws working side by side South Africa has two major pieces of legislation that...

Recent court developments concerning Julius Malema raise a question that is larger than one politician. In October 2025 he was convicted on five firearm-related charges arising from the 2018 Mdantsane rally. He has since been sentenced to five years’ direct imprisonment, additional penalties were ordered to run concurrently, he has been declared unfit to possess a firearm, the court granted leave to appeal his sentence, refused leave to appeal his conviction, and he remains out on warning...

For most people, the criminal justice system is something they only see from a distance. It is spoken about in headlines, whispered about in police stations, and dramatized in television shows. But when a real criminal case lands on your doorstep, whether it involves you, a family member, or someone close to you, the legal system can suddenly feel confusing, cold and overwhelming. People hear words like Schedule 1, bail, State case, diversion, reps and plea agreement, but very few...